Cantilever support provided to Ambedkar statue

The committee set up by the state government to ensure safety of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar statue in front of Vidhana Soudha during the ongoing Namma Metro underground station work on Friday provided cantilever supports to the statue as a temporary measure.

The support was necessitated following reports of the statue sinking by about 19 mm a few days ago from its original position. Despite the sinking, the statue did not get destabilised because of settlement support given by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., (BMRCL), according to its Managing Director N. Sivasailam.

Committee Chairman C.S. Vishwanath told The Hindu that the government had asked them address the problem arising out of the settlement of the statue. He said the government, after deciding not to disturb the statue, formed the committee comprising Mr. Vishwanath, who is also the Chairman of Task Force on Quality Control in Public Constructions, retired Indian Institute of Science civil engineering professor B.R. Sreenivasa Murthy and Chief Engineer (South), Public Works Department, Thyagaraj.

The members visited the statue site on Thursday and decided to evolve short as well as long-term measures for the safety of the statue, Mr. Vishwanath said. There were divergent views among members themselves, with some fearing the settlement might increase endangering the safety and some ruling out that chance, as the settlement had occurred between two rock boulders. To prevent anything endangering the safety, the committee decided to put out protection plans, he said.

As a short-term measure, a 40-tonne crane has been stationed to provide support holding the statue through a cantilever boom. Apart from the crane, two metal legs on hard ground are provided to support the holding. This measure will be in place for about 15 days, Mr. Vishwanath said. The long-term measure involves providing a mechanical set up to support the statue, which enables BMRCL to continue the work even for six months, he added.